Resonance
by dust on the wind
Summary: Whatever the sounds in the tunnel are, Carter's the only one to hear them - until a catastrophe calls for more ... 2019 Short Story Speed Writing Challenge.


_I do not own any of the characters from the series Hogan's Heroes. However, I claim ownership of any original characters appearing in this story._

_Written for the 2019 Short Story Speed Writing Challenge, and partly inspired by listening to Robert Ashley's "Automatic Writing". It is on YouTube, but I recommend caution, and whatever you do, don't listen to it just before you go to sleep. If there's a creepier piece of experimental music out there, I don't want to hear it._

* * *

Kinch awoke with a start. He had fallen into a light doze, sitting over the radio in the tunnels below Stalag 13, and for a moment he felt completely disoriented. After a few seconds he stretched, then looked at his watch.

_They should be here soon_, he thought.

He picked up the half-filled mug of coffee standing on the edge of the desk. Stone cold, of course. For a moment, he considered taking it down to the laboratory, where Carter was putting in a late night preparing for an upcoming mission. A couple of minutes over a Bunsen burner would warm it enough. But just as he stood up, a noise from the emergency tunnel stopped him in his tracks.

"About time," he mumbled, and set the mug down. A moment later, Colonel Hogan emerged from the gloom; and behind him, the slender form of the French resistance fighter, Tiger.

"Sorry we're late, Kinch," said Hogan. "Had to take the long way round to avoid the night patrol. Everything okay?"

"Quiet as a graveyard, Colonel. Carter's down in the lab, everyone else is asleep. Nice to see you again, Tiger."

"It is a pleasure for me, too," she replied. "I only wish it were not just another business trip."

Hogan uttered a soft chuckle. "Well, you wouldn't come here for fun. It's not exactly a holiday resort, and your room doesn't even have a view."

"Last night I didn't even have a bed," observed Tiger.

"At least we can do better than that. I'm afraid you'll have to stay down here, though, in case the Krauts decide to do a surprise barracks inspection. Schultz is willing to look the other way about most things, but he has to draw the line somewhere."

"It's a little spooky at night," Kinch added, "but there's nothing to be scared of."

Tiger shrugged, as gracefully as she did most things. "I am as safe here as anywhere, and it is only for a few hours. Why should I be afraid?"

As if in answer, a shout echoed from one of the tunnels; a desperate cry of pure terror. A moment later, a man came hurtling forth from the darkness and cannoned into Hogan, who reeled but kept his feet.

"Carter!" he snapped. "What the hell...?"

Kinch came to help pick Carter up from the floor. "You look like you've just seen a ghost," he said. "Or heard one."

Carter blinked at him. "Y-you mean you still didn't hear it?"

"Not a thing. You fell asleep again, right?"

"No. A little bit, maybe. Just for half a minute." Carter's eyes went from Kinch to Hogan. "I wasn't dreaming. I really heard something."

"The same thing, right? A kind of hammering sound." Kinch rolled his eyes. "Andrew, it's just the water pipes running under the camp. The pressure's been out of whack ever since we had that leak, so the pipes get noisy, and since all the plumbing in the camp is connected, it resonates all over the place. You know how we always hear it in the barracks whenever Klink takes a shower. That's probably all it is."

"I know what the pipes sound like," Carter snapped back. "It's a really loud banging noise. This is different. It's softer, and it sounds kind of hollow, like someone's tapping on them with a stick or something." He hesitated, then added in a rush. "And there's voices, too."

"Voices?" Hogan's tone sharpened.

"Really weird voices. I couldn't make out what they were saying, it was kind of muffled and echoey, but I heard 'em all right."

The little crease between Hogan's eyebrows deepened. "Could someone have gotten into the tunnels, Kinch?"

"It's possible, but I don't think it's likely," said Kinch. "They can't have gotten in through any of the barracks without someone noticing. The dogs wouldn't let them near the kennel entrance, and you just came down the emergency tunnel so they can't be there either. Look, Carter, you know how sound travels down here. Are you sure what you heard wasn't us talking?"

"Sure I'm sure." Carter spoke with an unusual degree of asperity. "One of the voices was a woman. And in case you haven't noticed, there aren't any women round here."

Tiger tilted her head, her lips twitching into a smile. "_Bonsoir, sergent._"

"Hi," said Carter. "So anyway, that's why it couldn't be... uh... " He trailed off, turning red. Then he drew himself upright. "I didn't imagine it. And I didn't fall asleep. And I wasn't dreaming. You guys can say what you like, but there's something weird going on down here."

Hogan thought about it for a moment. "Okay, let's just make sure. Kinch, you and Carter go back to the lab and have a scout around. I'll check around the emergency tunnel."

"I'll come with you," said Tiger.

Half an hour later, they reassembled in the radio room. "Anything?" asked Hogan.

"Absolutely nothing," replied Kinch. "Whatever Carter thinks he heard, I guess it's decided to call it a night."

"Sounds like a great idea. You and Carter can follow its example. Get up to the barracks and get some shut-eye."

"Aren't you coming?"

"No. I'll stay down here, go through Tiger's information, and then take her back out when it's time for her to leave."

"You do not have to stay once I have given you my report," Tiger put in. "I do not need you to hold my hand."

"I wasn't thinking of holding hands." Hogan dismissed his men with one look. Carter looked as though he might be thinking of arguing; but Kinch put a hand on his shoulder and steered him away.

"Let it go, Carter," he said, once they'd gone up the ladder and reached the barracks. "Okay, maybe you heard something – "

"I did hear something," muttered Carter sulkily, "and it wasn't the water pipes."

Kinch sighed. "All right, if you say so. But there's nothing down there now. Get some sleep, okay?"

He closed the tunnel entrance, sat down on his bunk and took his shoes off. Carter stood his ground for a few seconds, then with an ill-grace visible even in the darkened barracks, went off to his own bunk, lay down fully dressed and pulled the blanket over his head. Kinch sighed again as he got his own head down. _Once Andrew gets an idea in his head, he sure hangs on to it. I'd better have another look round tomorrow..._

* * *

"Poor Carter," murmured Tiger, snuggling against Hogan's shoulder.

"Carter who?" Hogan's voice was low and drowsy, and a little indistinct, as he was nuzzling her ear as he spoke. By some miracle of engineering, they'd managed to settle comfortably together on the narrow cot which stood in a small chamber off the main tunnel. There was a limit to how much they could get up to under the circumstances, but Hogan had long ago learned to appreciate what he could have, without letting thoughts of what he couldn't have wreck his enjoyment. Running his fingers through her hair, kissing her closed eyelids and soft lips, and just feeling the warmth of her body next to his; that was enough, for now. If it wasn't, he certainly had no intention of saying so.

She propped herself up, looking down into his eyes. "I know you are worried."

Hogan felt strongly tempted to brush the thought aside before it spoiled the mood; but Tiger wasn't the type to let things go that easily. "Well, either he really did hear something, or he's starting to crack up. I don't know which is worse. Maybe I should give him a furlough."

"A week on the Côte d'Azur, perhaps." A mischievous gleam lit her eyes. "Of course, he would need a chaperone, to keep him out of trouble."

"Nobody in this world could keep Carter out of trouble. But for a few days on the Riviera, I'd be willing to give it a try." He brushed a lock of hair back from her forehead, and availed himself of one final small pleasure by kissing the end of her nose. "I hate to be the voice of reason, but I think it's time for you to go."

With some effort, they disentangled themselves. Hogan felt a twinge in his lower back as he got up. Maybe he was getting too old for this. But looking at her, as she rearranged her clothes and made herself neat, he decided he wasn't, and probably never would be. In fact, if the strong trembling sensation which had just gone through his body was anything to go by...

"Did you feel that?" said Tiger, just exactly at that moment.

"Yeah. I did." Hogan had suddenly tensed. The vibration he'd just experienced wasn't internal. He went towards the emergency tunnel, his eyes narrowed to peer into the darkness. Then he went to the shelves behind the radio desk, where Kinch kept a flashlight in case of emergencies. He was pretty sure he knew what had happened, and if he was right, he'd need the flashlight.

"Stay here," he said, as he cautiously set forth.

The texture of the air, growing thicker as he went on, confirmed his hunch. He wasn't surprised when he came around a curve in the passage to find his way blocked by soil and rocks.

_Well, we won't be leaving camp that way_, he thought.

"What has happened?" asked Tiger. Of course she'd followed him; he had half expected it.

"Tunnel collapse," he replied. "Not a bad one, but the timing could be better." He turned on the flashlight to inspect the blockage. "It looks unstable. We'd better get back, in case there's another... "

Even as he spoke, there was a crack of timber from behind them, followed by a deep, gut-shaking rumble. By pure reflex, Hogan shoved Tiger back against the wall of the tunnel and flung himself on top of her. The earth shook and roared around them, for what seemed like hours, until the din finally died away to a soft, unsettled quiet.

"Are you all right?" The words caught in Hogan's throat, and he coughed. "Tiger?"

"_Ç__a va_," she mumbled. "You?"

"Okay, I think." The darkness was heavy; as heavy as the mass of soil surrounding them. Hogan rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes, and groped around until he found the flashlight. It was still working, so they had that much, at least. But as he slowly ran the beam of light across the obstruction in front and behind, he felt his heart drop in his chest.

"It's not good news," he said. "Looks like we're trapped. And we don't have a lot of space."

Tiger had been in too many tight places to panic. "Can we dig our way out?"

"Nothing to dig with. And we might set it off again." Hogan allowed the light to rest on the second collapse. "No, I don't want to risk it. It's about ready to fall on top of us, and we've got no way of bracing it. We were lucky the first time, let's not push it."

"Then we must wait to be rescued?" Tiger sat up, and drew in her breath, quite sharply.

"What's wrong? " Hogan put his hand on her arm. "Are you hurt?"

"A little bruised, I think. When I fell, my back hit something hard. It is just a little painful, not serious."

Hogan ran the light across the wall behind her. "The water pipe. It connects up to the main water supply. There was a leak about six months ago, and when we fixed it we left it exposed so we can keep an eye on it. It sticks out a bit. You sure you're okay?"

"Yes." Tiger had got to her knees. She sat back on her heels, and studied the mass of soil. "How are we going to get out of this?"

"There's the rub," said Hogan. He sat down on the ground beside her. "If the boys in the barracks heard the collapse, they'll come down to investigate, and they'll dig us out. But they may not have heard it. We're a pretty long way from the barracks. And since I'm supposed to be taking you out of camp, it's likely I won't be missed until roll call. I'm not sure we've got that long."

"The air will run out."

"Or there might be another collapse." Hogan considered their options. "We'd better think of something. And it'd be nice if we could think of it soon, because I have a feeling the flashlight's starting to give out."

Tiger's brow furrowed in thought. "Is there no way to attract attention?"

"I don't think so." Hogan leaned back, and his shoulders came into contact with the water pipe. The ensuing sharp pain in his shoulder blade seemed to resonate throughout his body, and with that resonance came the stirring of an idea. "Wait a minute," he said suddenly "Wait one minute. Maybe there is a way."

He turned off the flashlight, gripped it firmly, and struck it against the pipe. The resulting low-pitched sound, dulled by the close walls of earth, wasn't quite what he had hoped for, but it might be enough.

_Please,_ he thought. _Let it be enough..._

* * *

"Kinch... Wake up, Kinch... _Kinch!_"

The voice, scarcely more than a whisper, sounded right beside Kinch's ear. His eyes snapped open. "Carter? What – what time is it?"

"Dunno. It's happening again, Kinch."

"What?"

"The tapping noise. It woke me up. Don't tell me you can't hear it."

"I don't hear anything..." Kinch's response trailed off. He sat up slowly, a chill travelling across his skin which had nothing to do with the cold air in the barracks.

_This had better be a dream. I can't be hearing that._

He flung his blanket aside and stood up, pushing Carter out of the way. For a few seconds, his mind refused to accept what his ears were telling him. Then common sense took over. He was awake, he was in his right mind, and the faint, metallic clanking noise was real.

With Carter at his heels, he padded over to the sink in the corner, and put his hand on the tap. "It's coming from the water pipes," he murmured. "But it's not the pressure. It's too regular."

"It's just like what I heard in the tunnel," Carter hissed back. "Apart from the voices, anyway."

It was on the tip of Kinch's tongue to snap out a sharp retort, but he held it back. No point in putting Carter's back up over his imaginary voices. "We'd better go and have a look."

"You think we should wake up the other guys?"

"Not yet," said Kinch. He didn't want to admit to LeBeau or Newkirk that he was about to investigate what he still thought was either a dream or a delusion. "I'm going to get put some clothes on first. You get your jacket, it's nippy down there." No doubt the cold was why his hands were shaking as he buttoned his shirt.

A couple of minutes later, they arrived in the radio room. Everything looked as normal, and there wasn't a sound to be heard.

"Where's Colonel Hogan?" asked Carter, still in a hushed tone.

"Probably already left with Tiger." Kinch spoke a little louder. He frowned a little as the reverberation of his own voice came back to him. Something felt wrong.

Carter moved towards the emergency tunnel. "You hear that?"

Kinch shook his head. "What?"

"It's this way," said Carter, and set off. Kinch started to follow, then realising the tunnel was in darkness, went back to get the flashlight he kept on the shelf behind the radio. It wasn't there.

"Hold up, Carter," he called, as he unhooked one of the oil-burning lamps from the wall. He almost had to run to catch up with Carter, who was already almost out of sight; and at first he didn't notice that the tapping had started up again, and that, against all rational thinking, there were voices as well; muffled and incomprehensible, but definitely human.

_Now he's got me hearing things_, he thought.

It took another few seconds for him to take in the familiarity of the voices. A cold wave of dread rose up and almost overwhelmed him. "Carter, stop!"

"What's wrong?" Carter turned a puzzled look on him.

"I think I know what's happened." Kinch took the lead, holding the lamp up. A few steps further, and the flickering light caught on an obstruction: a chaotic mass of debris which filled the tunnel ahead.

The two men stood gazing at it for a few seconds, while the tapping continued. Kinch laid his fingers on the water pipe, which emerged from the collapsed soil and continued along the passage. Then he handed the lamp to Carter, stooped to pick up a stone which had come down with the falling earth, and struck it against the pipe. Three raps, a rest, then another rap.

A moment's silence; then the rhythm was repeated, from the other side of the obstruction.

"Colonel?" Kinch didn't dare speak too loudly, but he got as close to the collapse as he dared. "Can you hear me?"

He had to concentrate to hear the response, and he couldn't make out the words; but the relief of hearing Hogan's voice almost sent him dizzy. He turned to Carter. "Get everyone down here, now."

Carter fled towards the barracks, while Kinch examined the obstruction in front of him, trying to determine the best approach to clearing it, and to brush aside the distractions playing out in his head. But one thought kept nagging at him.

_He can't have heard it before it happened. But he did..._

* * *

It took several hours of careful excavation to clear an opening in the rubble and extract Tiger, and then Hogan, from their narrow cell. By the time they were both safe in the radio room, the night was gone. Kinch, who had taken charge of the rescue operation, sent the rest of the men to get ready for roll call, with particular instructions to Newkirk and LeBeau to delay the head count by any means available.

"You'd better give it a miss, Colonel," he said.

Hogan, perched unsteadily on the edge of the cot which had been brought out, gave him a one-sided grin. "I don't think so, Kinch. Where would we be if we let a little thing like near-death interrupt the routine of camp life?" He looked down at Tiger, who had fallen asleep, her cheek pillowed on her hand. "I gotta tell you, I didn't think that would work. I'm just glad you heard it."

"Carter heard it first," Kinch pointed out.

Hogan glanced towards Carter, who was still loitering by the ladder, diffident but anxious to help. "Yeah, he did, didn't he?"

"You don't think... ?"

"I don't know. But I'll tell you something, Kinch." Hogan stood up. "Next time he says he hears strange noises in the tunnel... " He paused, then shook his head. "No, what am I saying? Forget it. We'd better not be late for roll call."

He headed up the ladder, with Carter just behind him. Kinch lingered for a moment, listening; then, laughing softly at himself, he followed his mates, and left the tunnel to silence.

* * *

_Note: the leak in the water pipe is canon, from "Hogan Springs" (Season 2)_


End file.
